While the contest will be the first time Schalick will hit the road this postseason, coach Alyssa Merker doesn’t think that will have much of a bearing on the game.

“When we have away games, it’s just like any other game,” she said. “We’ve been really lucky. The parents, friends, co-workers … they follow us wherever we go.”

The mindset of treating every road game as any other contest has been absorbed by her players, as the Cougars have an 8-4 record when they are the visiting team.

What will really have an impact on the game are the performances of outfielder Morgan Zane and pitcher Gracie Meyer. The duo has been the team's backbone throughout the year, coming up with clutch swings and big-time pitching performances.

Merker’s expectations are high.

“We need a huge game from them,” she said. “I have the utmost confidence in them, but they’ve got to put the bats to work.”

Meyer didn’t talk about what was needed from her bat. She focused on what she had to do in the circle.

“I’ve just got to pitch my best,” she said. “Honestly I’m just going to try to pitch groundballs and let my team behind me try to pick me up.”

If the Cougars have one thing going for them right now, it’s their confidence. With such a young team, there were expected bumps in the road throughout the season. However, since the beginning of May, something has clicked.

Schalick won its last four games of the regular season, and including the playoffs, are 7-2 record since May 1.

As the wins piled up, so did the team’s confidence.

“Everything kind of molded together and their confidence level has grown in every single game,” Merker said. “It’s gone through the roof in the last couple weeks.”